The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins
by SmoulderS
Summary: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, rendered as poetry


**The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins**

 **by Savanah Lilly**

Bilbo the hobbit led a quiet life

Pipe and tea, not war and strife

Until one morning bright in May

Gandalf the wizard swept him away

First came dwarves in hooded cloaks

Bilbo thought them outlandish folks

The dwarves from home had been displaced

From their mountain they were chased

A dragon also took their gold

And kept it under mountain cold

Determined were they to return

Despite the risk that all would burn

While the dwarves of treasure spoke

Bilbo's adventurous side awoke

Thus he quashed his fears and left

Intending to commit a theft

So went Bilbo adventure seeking

Riding, creeping, flying, peeking

Sometimes bold and sometimes shy

To defeat a dragon, at least to try

In pouring rain one gloomy night

Did Bilbo get his first real fright

Gandalf hid behind some knolls

To save them from the hungry trolls

In Rivendell across the moor

They learned about a secret door

With the elves they took a rest

Weary feet deemed this the best

Next traversing mountains tall

Soon were lost in goblin hall

Bilbo there was left behind

In darkness he was hard to find

When Bilbo found where Gollum lay

A game of riddles he had to play

For both of them the stakes were high

Soon Bilbo felt he had to fly

Gollum's ring he'd found before

Resting innocent on the floor

Gollum keenly felt its lack

And so chased Bilbo to get it back

As Bilbo crept along the floor

He followed Gollum to the door

Once outside he found his friends

Waiting where the mountain ends

Yet still they feared the goblins' might

They ought to travel far ere night

However wargs caught up with ease

To get away they climbed some trees

Trapped by goblins, wargs, and fire

The only road was flying higher

Eagles safely brought them down

Far away from goblin town

Honey bees and golden pear

Filled the house of Beorn the bear

He kindly gave them what he could

Then off they went to cross Mirkwood

Gandalf, to mounting dread and despair

Simply turned and left them there

The dwarves and Bilbo alone now stood

Beneath the eves of that dreaded wood

Yet on they trudged, day and night

Hungry soon and full of fright

The darkness cast by oaks and pines

Sent cold shivers up their spines

Bombur the dwarf fell in the stream

And instantly began to dream

In hunger soon they left the path

Thus incurring elvish wrath

Escaping to a spider glade

Bilbo learned to use his blade

Invisibly thanks to his ring

Bilbo cut and stabbed with Sting

He saved the dwarves by spiders bound

Free, they fell upon the ground

Giant spiders came to see

That their prey yet couldn't flee

Running from the spider's den

The dwarves soon found the elves again

The wood elves captured all they saw

Thus only Bilbo escaped their law

Invisible he stole the key

To set his dwarvish comrades free

Through a trapdoor they went down

In barrels they floated to Laketown

Thorin the dwarf soon was known

As the king of mountain throne

So a welcome warm they received

Only Bard thought Laketown deceived

Newly provisioned they made a trail

To the fragmented town of Dale

The lonely mountain they ascended

Though they feared it was defended

Locating the secret door

Proved to be a daunting chore

Just in time they found the place

Though of a keyhole was no trace

On Durin's day the setting sun

Revealed the door to everyone

Then down the passage Bilbo crept

To see if Smaug the dragon slept

Indeed upon his stolen hoard

Smaug the dragon gently snored

Bilbo to the dwarves went up

But first he took a golden cup

Later Smaug did know a thief

Had come to steal and give him grief

He also knew the thief'd return

Smaug would wait and they would burn

Invisible and silent as well

Bilbo the hobbit forgot his smell

Smaug was not caught unaware

When he again entered the lair

Though Bilbo spoke in riddles to him

Smaug the dragon was not dim

He knew that help from Laketown came

And thus resolved to burn it with flame

But Bilbo saw the dragon's chest

Was unprotected in the breast

Luckily this was overheard

By the thrush, an intelligent bird

Meanwhile Smaug had left his lair

Cruising silently through the air

So in the tunnel dwarves had to hide

While Smaug smashed the mountain-side

Broken was the secret door

Boulders strewn upon the floor

Were they to see the light of day

They had to find another way

Toward the dragon's lair once more

Bilbo strode across the floor

Timidly dwarves followed him

Underneath the mountain grim

Since the dragon was not there

Bilbo walked across his lair

Far ahead and thus alone

He stumbled on the Arkenstone

Thorin wanted this great treasure

The heart of the mountain, his forever

Bilbo hid it, seeing a need

Thorin to protect from greed

Down at Laketown Bard did know

The moment he saw the river glow

That the wrath of Smaug had woken

Soon their homes would all be broken

While the dragon burned the town

Bard with an arrow shot him down

The thrush did tell him where to aim

Thus the end of the dragon came

To the mountain the refugees fled

By Bard they were prepared and led

Hoping for a share of gold

To fund protection from the cold

Despite the charity they'd shown

When Thorin came and claimed his throne

The mountain king turned them away

Not one gold piece would he pay

Bilbo knew this wasn't right

Down the mountain he crept at night

The Arkenstone he brought to them

For trading they could use the gem

By the mountain he also found

An elvish camp upon the ground

And one old man who brought him cheer

Gandalf the wizard was finally here

Next day Bard did try to trade

Yet Thorin felt he was betrayed

He would have killed Bilbo in greed

But Gandalf's orders he did heed

Thorin would not trade with Bard

To part with gold was far too hard

Instead he asked a raven to send

A message to a dwarvish friend

An army of dwarves was on the way

The elvish army was there to stay

Goblins and wargs were coming as well

For of the treasure they had heard tell

The coming battle would also be fought

By men of Laketown who payment sought

Heralding the imminent fight

Dark clouds of war bats flew in sight

The battle of five armies began

Warg and goblin 'gainst elf, dwarf and man

All through the day and into night

Bilbo witnessed this furious fight

Invisibly he slashed and stabbed

Until his attention the eagles grabbed

Although they still were far away

He knew that they would save the day

Beorn in his bear form came

His battle fury would goblins maim

Finally Thorin came to aid

His dwarfish kin with ancient blade

Knocked unconscious Bilbo lay

All through night until next day

Left there where he hit his head

Invisible, they thought him dead

Once he wakened he was found

And gently lifted off the ground

Right away Bilbo was sent

To visit Thorin in his tent

Injured and sorry for his greed

Thorin begged Bilbo to forgive his deed

This Bilbo did while tears he cried

Thus peacefully king Thorin died

Soon after Bilbo took his leave

His departure dwarves did grieve

So Bilbo headed home at last

All peril now was in the past

Except for peril he would bring

That sinister enchanted ring

This he to Gandalf finally showed

As they walked along the road

So Bilbo's adventure came to an end

Leaving him with many a friend

Although the other hobbits near

Now thought that he was rather queer

Despite this once again his life

Was easy and devoid of strife

Yet back to Rivendell, elves to greet

Was Bilbo brought by restless feet


End file.
